Dear Pastor

DEAR PASTOR:

I backslid and recently I was diagnosed with HIV. Please pray for me. J.

DEAR J.

The enemy wants you to be under condemnation but the Lord wants you to know this...

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

To be "righteous" is to be in a right relationship with God. To be "unrighteous" is to be in a broken relationship with God.

If you have sincerely confessed your sins, asked God's forgiveness and repented, then your relationship with God has been restored and He no longer calls you "unrighteous," but "righteous."

When we confess our sins and repent, God truly does cast our sins away from us and He keeps no remembrance of our faults. So, let your heart be assured that when you confess your sins to God, He then forgives you.

Since God can-not and would not lie, you can be at peace concerning your relationship with Him. This is such good news!

Now concerning your healing. Pray, read and meditate upon God's Word, and seek out those who pray for the sick to pray for you, and often thank the Lord for healing you. Repeat these steps until you are well.

I also want to encourage you to partake of communion---the breaking of bread and drinking of grape juice---as often as you can. You may want to purchase some and set it aside just for this purpose.

Communion is not a magic wand. But, there is something very special about it. The Lord instructed us this way,

And He took bread, and gave thanks, and broke it, and gave unto them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of Me." Likewise, also the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the New Testament (Covenant) in My blood, which is shed for you."

Communion is a time of reflection upon what Jesus has done for you. I Peter 2:24, "Who Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live unto righteousness. By Whose stripes (wounds) we were healed."

The shedding of His blood is for the remission of our sins and the wounds which He endured are for the healing of our bodies.

During communion, you connect with God concerning the New Covenant established through Jesus Christ and entered into by faith in Him.

When I participate in communion, I spend some time examining my own heart before doing so. Specifically, I ask the Lord to forgive me if I have offended anyone (I Corinthians 11:28-32). Then as I am taking the bread, I say something like this to the Lord,

"Lord, Jesus, thank You for Your body which was broken for me. By Your wounds I am healed. Thank You Lord for healing me."

When I take the juice, I say something like this to the Lord,

"Lord, Jesus, thank You for Your blood which was poured out for me. Through Your shedding of blood, I am forgiven. Thank You Lord for Your forgiveness."

In closing, here are two promises for you from the Word of God:

"For with God nothing shall be impossible" (Luke 1:37).

"Jesus said to him, 'If you can believe, all things are possible to him that believes'" (Mark 9:23).

Pamela Koefoed
Advancing the Kingdom Ministries
www.akministries.org
akmpastor@yahoo.com

QUESTIONS FOR DEAR PASTOR MAY BE SENT TO: akmpastor@yahoo.com

More articles like this can be found on our "Dear Pastor" blog http://akministries.org/m3t7zi6/index.php?blog=5 and "Mentoring" site: www.akministries.org/m3t7zi6/index.php?blog=2

DEAR PASTOR: IS BEING SLAIN IN THE SPIRIT IN THE BIBLE?

ANSWER: I vividly recall the first time I experienced this phenomena. Many years ago, I attended a meeting with my daddy and sister. The evangelist invited anyone who wished to dedicate their lives to serving Jesus to come forward.

I didn't want to go forward because at the time just the thought of standing in front of a group of people intimidated me. (I have since gotten over that! PTL!) On the other hand, I really loved the Lord and I didn't want to deny Him. So, after some time, I ignored that dreadful feeling of knees knocking and stomach churning and headed for the front.

Having taken much time to get up the courage to go forward, I stood at the end of a long line and waited for the evanglist. When she prayed and touched each person's forehead, they all fell to the floor.

"Well," I silently thought. "She has influenced their minds. No way is she going to make me go down. I’m not moving!” And so, I planted my feet and prepared to remain standing.

While she was praying for the person to my right, a peaceful feeling came over me and before that evangelist could even touch me, I fell back into the waiting hands of an usher.

There are three ways to test whether or not certain experiences are from the Lord. Experiences that are of the Lord will never contradict the written Word of God. They will always be in agreement with the character of God. And they will lead the person having the experience closer to the Lord.

My experience with being Slain in the Spirit did not contradict scripture, it was within the character of God and it led me to really want to know the Lord.

Here are some scriptures for further study:

II Chronicles 5:14, the priests were unable to remain standing in the temple when the Glory Presence of the Lord came.

John 18:6, "When He (Jesus) said, 'I Am,' they went backward from Him and fell to the ground" (John 18:6 the Complete Jewish Bible).

Acts 10:10, "He (Peter) fell into a trance." Fell into is from the Greek word epipipto which comes from two words, one is directional and the second word means to fall. From this definition it appears that Peter literally fell down and went into a trance.

Many times while someone lies on the floor under the power of God, the Holy Spirit is at work. Once while this happened in one of my meetings, the woman on the floor was miraculously healed of three broken vertebrates in her back. For this I give the Lord much praise.

Keep Running After God!

Pamela Koefoed
Advancing the Kingdom Ministries
www.akministries.org
akmmentor@yahoo.com
541-417-1418

More Articles like this can be found on our "Dear Pastor" blog http://akministries.org/m3t7zi6/index.php?blog=5
Revival Reports, Testimonies and Teaching can be found on our "Mentoring" site:
www.akministries.org/m3t7zi6/index.php?blog=2

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Pamela Koefoed resides in Lakeview, Oregon with her husband and three children. She is an itinerant minister, senior leader of Advancing the Kingdom Ministries and author of "Angels Appearing."

Dear Pastor:
Does Darwin's Theory of Evolution fit with Christiantiy?

Answer:

Darwin presented the origin of life as being a product of random chance. He said non-life evolved very slowly over time into simple cells. These cells, he said, were the ancestors from which all life forms evolved.

Because the Bible is essential to Christianity, let's look at what it says on this subject.

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). God is revealed as the Creator who designed our galaxy as well as the mountains, trees, rivers, oceans, and all plant and animal life (Genesis 1:1-26).

What Did Darwin Believe?

I am far from an expert on this subject but because Darwinism is commonly taught, I’d like to take a shot at touching on a couple of points that I feel will be helpful for you.

First a disclaimer for Darwin…he didn’t have the advantages of powerful telescopes and microscopes that scientists of the twenty-first century have. Therefore, he couldn’t test what he thought to be true. Perhaps, he was leaving this up to another generation. Could ours be that generation? I believe it is.

Back to my opening statement, Darwin presented the origin of life as being a product of random chance. He said non-life evolved very slowly over time into simple cells. These cells, he said, were the ancestors from which all life forms evolved.

The visual model of this is his famous drawing of the Tree of Life. His drawing depicts simpler life forms as the basis from which more complex life forms developed such as, lions, apes, and humans.

Does Science Support or Contradict Darwin’s Claims?

We are a privileged generation to have so many wonderful advances in science. Over the past five decades, astronomy, molecular biology, biochemistry and genetics have made discoveries revealing a universe, an earth, and all life having been purposefully designed by a highly intelligent designer verses a product of random chance.

What Can We Learn from the Little Cell?

Numerous discoveries in science contradict Darwin's evolutionary ideals. We could take a scientific look at any part of the human body and discover life by design rather than by chance. Let's choose for our consideration something which Darwin believed was the most simple of all life forms…the cell.

Our bodies are composed of trillions of these. Each one is a highly complex molecular machine having a specific and important function.

Cells are so important that without them, you could not function, nor could you live. They are intrinsically involved in every process in the human anatomy. Their form and behavior reveals that they were designed rather than a random product of chance.

Darwin taught that cells are the simplest of all life, but Microbiologists, using highly sophisticated microscopes, have discovered that cells are not simple, they are "outrageously complex," even more complex than larger life forms.

What Can We Learn from the Fossil Record?

Darwin also said that marine and animal life evolved gradually over a long period of time. The fossil record reveals a different story. It shows complete forms of various species of animal life appearing all at once and in their complete forms.

If the idea of life forms evolving slowly over time were true, then we should be able to discover fossils of animals in the middle stage of their transformation from one species into another.

After many thousands of excavations and fossil discoveries on every continent, such a fossil has not been found.

With the Evidence Stacked against Darwin's Theory of Evolution, Why is Evolution Still Taught?

There may be more answers, but one reason for this is because it fits so well into an Atheistic viewpoint. It answers the "If there is no God, then how did the earth get here?" question.

Is God Real?

When my sister and I were teenagers, one night at the drive-inn theater, we sat outside the car and admired the brightly star-lit sky. My sister said a little prayer. She said, "If there is a God, then let me see a shooting star."

In answer to her request, instantly, we watched amazed as a star streaked across the sky. For us, that settled that! Today, my sister and I both serve the Lord as ministers of the Gospel. How very amazing!

The Bible doesn't separate science from faith. It tells us that creation reveals that God is real. Science is a revealing of the mysteries of our planet and universe. Today, science is doing just that...it is revealing to us a universe, an earth, and life which has been purposefully designed by a highly intelligent designer.

You can learn more by going to www.allaboutscience.org and from The Case for a Creator, written by Lee Strobel, www.leestrobel.com

God bless you,
Pamela Koefoed
www.akministries.org
akmpastor@yahoo.com

More articles like this can be found on our "Dear Pastor" blog http://akministries.org/m3t7zi6/index.php?blog=5 and "Mentoring" site: www.akministries.org/m3t7zi6/index.php?blog=2

Dear Pastor:

Are angels real? And who do they protect?

ANSWER:

We need only look in the Bible to discover that angels are very real. In fact, it may interest you to know that there are over 300 references to them in scripture.

All throughout history, there have been eye-witness reports from people who actually saw angels. Often, these "angel sightings" took place during a rescue from some sort of danger or during a time when they helped someone in trouble.

Looking at the Bible, we discover that angels protect: those who revere and worship the Lord, those who obey Him, those who are faithful to Him,
those whose faith rests in Him, the innocent and blameless, and those whom the Lord has set apart for service to Him.

1. Those who revere and worship the Lord.

"The angel of the Lord encamps about those who fear Him...and each of them He delivers" (Psalm 34:7).

2. Those who obey the Lord.

"Behold, I send an angel before you to keep and guard you on the way to bring you to the place I have prepared. But if you will indeed listen to and obey his voice and all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries" (Exodus 23:20-22).

3. Those who are faithful to the Lord.

"And the Lord said to him, 'Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in the midst of it'" (Ezekiel 9:4).

This was during a time when much of Israel had turned from the Lord to worship idols and had adopted many of the evil customs of the nations around them. The "marker" was an angel and the "mark" separated the sheep of Israel from the unfaithful worshippers of Idols.

4. Those whose faith rests continually in the Lord.

"Because you have made the Lord your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place, there shall no evil befall you, nor any plague or calamity come near your tent. For He shall give His angels [especial] charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways [of obedience and service]. They shall bear you up on their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone" (Psalm 91:9-12).

5. Those who are innocent and blameless.

My God has sent His angel and has shut the lions' mouths so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent and blameless before Him; and also before you, O king, [as you very well know] I have done no harm or wrong" (Daniel 6:22).

6. Those whom the Lord sets apart for service.

"Who has roused up one [Cyrus] from the east, whom He calls in righteousness to His service and whom victory meets at every step? He [the Lord]subdues nations before him and makes him ruler over kings....He [Cyrus] pursues them and passes safely and unhindered..." (Isaiah 41:2, 3).

150 years before Cyrus was born, Isaiah prophesied that Cyrus would conquer kings and pass through their territories entirely protected and unharmed. Cyrus was not a Jew; he was the king of Persia, yet he was chosen by God. Because of this, God guided and protected him. How could this be possible? With the help of angels. (Also see Isaiah 45:1-8)

You may find the articles about angels on our mentoring page helpful and interesting. Select "Mentoring" at the top of this page and on the menu at the right, select "Heavenly Angels".

May the Lord set His angels all around you to keep and deliver you from all harm, in Jesus' Name. Amen.

Pamela Koefoed
www.akministries.org
akmpastor@yahoo.com
541-417-1418

Scripture taken from the Amplified version of the Bible.

QUESTIONS FOR DEAR PASTOR MAY BE SENT TO: akmpastor@yahoo.com

More articles like this can be found on our "Dear Pastor" blog http://akministries.org/m3t7zi6/index.php?blog=5 and "Mentoring" site: www.akministries.org/m3t7zi6/index.php?blog=2

With You...
The Tower of Babel was built before the existence of gas powered machines or electricity, yet it reached into the heavens. The famed pyramids of Egypt were erected without the help of cranes, yet the massively heavy stones were lifted and placed at vast heights. The 4 thousand mile long Great Wall of China was constructed during an era when battles were still fought and won with bow and arrow, javelin and spear.

Alone those who carried the visions for each of these amazing structures never would have accomplished such remarkable feats, but because people of a common purpose joined together, each visionary’s dream became a tangible reality.

A Vision to Reach Billions...

More than 3 billion people across the world turn to the internet for information. This presents us with a remarkable and exciting opportunity to share the good news of God's Word with billions of men, women and children throughout the world.

God designed us to work together to advance His purposes. Alone, we may be able to accomplish a little, but together we can accomplish much.
Please pray about how you can partner with us in this endeavor.

What we have received from the Lord we gladly and freely give, but if you would like to partner with us through a financial gift, tax deductible love offerings may be made to AKM through Paypal by returning to our website, www.akministries.org and selecting “Sowing," or by writing to: AKM, P.O. Box 728, Lakeview, Or. 97630.

We are held up and strengthened by God through the prayers of His people. To partner with us through prayer, we would be happy to send you a special prayer list upon request. Just write to us at: advancingmail@yahoo.com

To all who faithfully partner with us through resources, encouragement and prayer...thank you very much...with you, we are reaching the nations with God's love.

God bless you,
Pamela Koefoed

Advancing the Kingdom Ministries
www.akministries.org
advancingmail@yahoo.com
541-417-1418